Autopneumatic music-playing instrument.



No, 873,214 PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907. W. R. ORIPPEN. AUTOPNEUMATIG MUSIC PLAYING INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.19.190'I.

@mMM/w M/o N N Q W UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER It. ORIPPEN, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO EMERSON PIANO COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

AUTOPNEUMATIC MUSIC-PLAYING INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed March 19. 1907. Serial No. 363.167.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVALTER R. ORIPPEN, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Cambridge, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Autopneumatic Music- Playing Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in auto-pneumatic playing instruments, the object being to provide means for producing changes in expression by varying the extent to which the tracker-board ducts are opened by the perforations found in the ordinary note sheet. In this connection, it will be un derstood that the note sheet proper operates as a throttle, and the arrangement of the action work may be of any form that will be controlled by the volume of air permitted to enter the several ducts in the tracker-board.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 represents a section of a tracker-board and a section of my controlling device; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the tracker-board and a portion of a note sheet.

1 is the tracker-board, capable of being moved longitudinally. In this trackerboard are formed the usual ducts, but in the particular form shown, each of these ducts is divided by a central partition.

2 represents a note sheet having the usual note perforations therein, and also having a marginal perforation, the function of which will be later described.

3 is a power pneui'natic normally distendedv by a spring 4 and open to the atmosphere as through ducts 5 and 6.

7 is a valve overstanding the duct 8 and arranged to close the same when in one position. When in the opposite position, however, it closes duct 6 and opens duct 8.

9 is an exhaust connected, for example, with the main exhaust of the instrument.

10 is the movable part of a primary pneuinatic, 10, is a bleed-hole therein. When this collapsible part 10 is collapsed the valve 7 closes the duct 8 and pneumatic 3 is opened to the atmosphere. When, however, the collapsible part 10 is raised, the passage 6 is closed and. the pneumatic is put into communication with the exhaust 9 through ducts 5 and 8. Under normal conditions the parts will stand as shown in Fig. 1.

11 is a pipe connecting the primary pneumatic 10 with perforation 12 in the trackerboard. WVhenever a perforationin the note sheet 2, such for example as 14, registers with the perforation 12, atmospheric pressure will be admitted into the pneumatic 10 and the valve 7 will be shifted. The effect of this will be to cause the collapse, of the power pneumatic 3 by means of the exhaust 9. The power pneumatic 3 is connected in any suitable way, as by a lever 15 and link 16, with the tracker-board 1. This collapse of the power pneumatic 8 will shift the tracker-board longitudinally.

Now referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that under normal'conditions only approximately one-half of each note duct in the tracker-bar will be opened by one of the note perforations in the sheet 2. If, however, the trackerboard is shifted to the left, as viewed in .the drawings, the note perforations in the sheet will open the ducts in the tracker-board wide, allowing a greater volume of air to enter, and since this mechanism may be employed with an instrument in which the sounding of the notes may be modified by the volume of 'air permitted to enter the tracker-board, it follows that whenever it is desired to have one note stuck with greater vigor than another, it is merely necessary to shift the trackerboard. Now referring again to Fig. 2, it will be seen that, whereas the note perforations 17-17 will only partially open their respective tracker-bar perforations 17-17, the perforation 18 will open its duct'18 the full width, because of the location of the marginal perforation 14. When this perforation 14 reaches the tracker duct 12, the power pneumatic 3 will be actuated, shifting the tracker board into full alinement, (as distinguished from partial alinement) with the sheet perforation 18. This perforation. 14 may, of course, be provided whenever it is desired to shift the tracker-board for the purpose de scribed.

While my invention may be employed with a single or continuous tracker-bar, it is obvious that the tracker-bar may be cut in two and the same power pneumatic 3 applied at each end. Of course, suitable stopmechanism may be provided to limit the longitudinal movement of the bar 1, but such stop-mechanism is so obvious as to require no illustration. What I claim is,

1. In an instrument of the character described, a longitudinally movable trackerboard, a note sheet arranged to traverse the same transversely, ducts in the tracker-board and perforations in the note sheet, means for moving the tracker-board transversely relatively to the direction of travel of the note sheet to vary the degree to which the ducts in the tracker-board are exposed by the note sheet when traversed byperforated portion in the note sheet.

2. In an instrument of the character described, a longitudinally movable trackerboard, a note sheet arranged to traverse the same transversely, ducts in the tracker-board and perforations in the note sheet, means for moving the tracker-board transversely relatively to the direction of travel of the note sheet to vary the degree to which the ducts in the tracker-board are exposed when traversed by the perforated portions of the note sheet, including a power pneumatic controllable from the tracker-board by said note sheet.

3. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a longitudinally movable trackerboard, a perforated note sheet arranged to traverse the same transversely, a power pneumatic connected with the tracker-board, means for operating said power pneumatic to shift said tracker-board longitudinally to vary the line of registration of the ducts therein relatively to the direction of movement of the perforations in the note sheet. I

4. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a longitudinally movable trackerboard, a perforated note-sheet arranged to traverse the same transversely, a power pneumatic connected with the tracker-board, means for operating said ower pneumatic to shift said tracker-boarc longitudinally to vary the line of registration of the ducts therein relatively to the direction of movement of the perforations in the note sheet, including a spring for distending said pneu matic, and an exhaust for collapsing the same.

5. In an auto-pneumatic music playing instrument, a longitudinally movable trackerboard, a perforated note sheet arranged to traverse the same transversely, a power pneumatic connected with the tracker-board, means for operating said power pneumatic to shift said tracker-board longitudinally to vary the line of registration of the ducts therein relatively to the direction of movement of the perforations in the note sheet, including a spring for distending said pneumatic, an exhaust for collapsing the same, a note sheet perforation, a tracker-board duct in line therewith, and a valve operated by a primary pneumatic controllable from the tracker-board by the note sheet for opening and closing the exhaust of said pneumatic.

I'VALTER R. (JRIPPEN. \Vitnesses:

WILLIAM C. HENroHJ IVILLIAM W. DAVIS. 

